USA > Iowa > Wright County > History of Wright County, Iowa, its peoples, industries and institutions > Part 39
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Peter HI. Goslin is indebted to the district schools of Wright county, Iowa, for his education, following which he taught for nine winters. At the age of twenty-three years he removed to Clarion where he was employed as a clerk in the postoffice for a short time. He then was appointed to serve as deputy county clerk and was engaged in that capacity for a period of two years. Desirous of obtaining an honorable competency through his
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independent efforts in commercial pursuits, he engaged in the grain broker- age business, but in 1891, after meeting with unusual success for others, he began buying for himself, and in 1900 included stock buying in his other interests. He buys, on an average, one hundred carloads of stock each year. That he has won a place of no mean mention, is evidenced by the fact that he was elected and served as the mayor of Clarion covering a period of eight years, and also served as city assessor for four years.
In 1886 Peter H. Goslin was united in marriage to Clara Lynch, daugh- ter of Edmund and Jane Lynch, and they are the parents of two children, Leroy P. and Edmond Clare. Politically, Peter H. Goslin is an ardent Democrat, and his religions inspiration is received from the creeds of the Catholic church, which denomination receives his earnest and active support. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and is held in high regard by the members of that order. On February 25. 1915, he was appointed post- master of Clarion, Wright county, Iowa.
C. H. MARTIN.
One of the first men to locate in Boone township, this county, and who became a wealthy, enterprising farmer and lived a good and upright life, was "Uncle Henry" Martin, as he was usually called. C. H. Martin was born in Gloucester, England, in January, 1818, and died in Boone town- ship, this county, in 1893. He made his own way through life unaided by wealthy relatives or friends. He was the son of a woolen manufacturer, who having faith in America brought his family hither and located in Ohio, the wife and mother dying in England. The father had married the second wife before emigrating from England.
Young C. 11. Martin worked at farm labor in Ohio, saved his money and determined to invest in western lands. le came to Wright county in February, 1855, settling on the banks of Boone river, in Wright county, where he ever after resided and there died. In 1890 he owned six hundred acres of valuable Wright county land. In 1865 he married the widow of William Odenheimer, her maiden name being Kelling. Mr. and Mrs. Mar- tin had ten children, many of whom died when young. The daughters all died of diphtheria. With the passing of C. H. Martin Wright county lost an estimable citizen.
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WILLIAM I. ROSECRANS.
An active life is conducive to a long one and sincere interest in public affairs engenders the confidence and trust of one's fellow citizens. Posi- tions of trust may be gained, but never held for any length of time, by those unworthy of them, so the life of William I. Rosecrans affords much food for reflection, for his career is strewn with evidence of public confidence and trust, and the record of his many achievements contains many examples of civic pride and betterment.
William I. Rosecrans is one of seven children born to Judge Marma- duke P. and Lucy (Green ) Rosecrans, and his birth occurred on August 18, 1862, on a farm in Hancock county, Iowa. Judge Marmaduke P. Rose- crans, with his family, came to Iowa during the forties and settled in Sigourney, Iowa, a town located in the southern part of the state. The names of the brothers and sisters of William I. Rosecrans follow : Charles, who served in the Union army and met his death at Memphis, Tennessee, while fighting for his country; Julia, wife of Gurley G. Pritchard and now living in Los Angeles, California; Edgar J., who married Jennie Speers, of Clear Lake, Iowa, and is now living in Seattle, Washington; Alice C .; wife of Dr. G. F. McDowell, resides at Clear Lake, Iowa; Flora E., wife of Dr. Z. C. Green, of Garner, Iowa, where her death occurred in 1888; Harry M., who married Ida Wood, of Clear Lake, Iowa, and now resides in Dubuque, Iowa.
William I. Rosecrans, removed with his parents to Clear Lake, lowa, in 1866, and received his education in the public schools of that place, finishing with a course in Bailey's Business College, at Dubuque, lowa. After this theoretical training, he received his practical training in the busi- ness house of his brother-in-law. G. G. Pritchard, his service beginning in 1878 and rounding to completion in 1885, at which time he purchased the business from his employer and formed a partnership with C. G. Pritchard. for the sale of general merchandise. In 1898 the partnership was dissolved and William I. Rosecrans entered the shoe business, which was conducted for seven years, in Belmond, lowa. During these years he was also inter- ested in the Johnson & Rosecrans Grain Company, of which he was a mem- ber. This company operated a chain of elevators throughout the state of Iowa. In 1905 the shoe business was disposed of and Mr. Rosecrans devoted his entire time to the successful operation of the grain business, which he has conducted to the present time.
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In 1886 William I. Rosecrans was united in marriage to Catherine G. Finch, daughter of William and Gittie ( Dummond ) Finch and of this union two children were born: Leo ML., who resides in Los Angeles, was inar- ried in July, 1914, to Margaret Brennan, of Los Angeles, California, who died five months later; G. Gladys, the second child, is at home with her parents.
In 1906 William I. Rosecrans was elected cashier of the lowa Valley State Bank, which became the First National Bank of Belmond, lowa, in 1907. For two years he served in this capacity and in January, 1914, he was chosen president of the bank, a position he still hokis. Besides these many interests that have occupied his time and attention, he was, for nine- teen years, agent of the United States Express Company, at Belmond, lowa. lle has also been interested in the great development of the West and is the owner of valuable land holdings in lowa and Dakota, consisting of two hundred and eighty acres in the counties of Wright, near Cornelia, Hancock, near Garner, in Iowa, and four farms consisting of six hundred and forty acres. in Richland county, North Dakota.
William 1. Rosecrans has found ample time to pursue the pleasant things of life and is a much traveled and widely read man but above all, he is just and humane, sociable and kind, and is the kind of man one loves to meet. He is a member of King Solomon Lodge No. 210, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, also a Knights Templar and a noble of the Mystic Shrine.
F. B. SHELDON.
The career of F. B. Sheldon, a native son of this county, is one of indi- vidual and mmaided effort, and indicates the success to which the American boy can climb when he possesses within himself the necessary qualifications. Mr. Sheklon descends from a family whose members have inspired admira- tion and respect for several generations, and his father set for his children an example which they have followed, an example of bravery and loyalty, for he was a Civil War veteran.
F. B. Sheldon, who has occupied a conspicuous place in local banking circles, was born on December 16, 1866 in Vernon township, of this county, and is the son of Charles P. and Isabel ( Stevenson ) Sheldon. They were natives of Essex county, New York, where they were married. The father, a farmer, came to this state in 1854, and when the life of the nation was
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threatened, he enlisted in the Second Kansas Cavalry, from Clayton county, lowa, remaining in service from the fall of 1861 until the close of the war. In order for him to enlist from Kansas, it was necessary for him to go there from Clayton county.
Charles P. Sheklon was married in New York, and came from there to lowa about 1854. In the spring of the year following the close of the war Mr. Sheldon came to Wright county and soon began improving the eighty acres of land which he obtained as a homestead. Here he lived until 1876, when he sold the property and bought an adjoining farm, where he lived until about four years before the time of his death, which occurred on February 26, 1912. He was a resident of Dows the last four years of his life. His devoted wife passed away in February, 1913. They were the parents of five children as follow: Frank R., of Williams, lowa; Mrs. Menvill Engle King, of Winnepeg, Canada; Charles A., who lives in Wis- consin; F. B., the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Hattie McCoy, of Spooner, Wisconsin.
After his schooling was completed-this consisting of a thorough pub- lie-school training-F. B. Sheldon taught for nineteen terms and followed the plow during summer vacations. Until his marriage he lived at home, and after his marriage moved to a farm in Vernon township where he lived until his removal to Rowan in 1001. Here he succeeded I. E. Powers, who was at that time cashier of the Bank of Rowan, which was a privately owned banking institution. Eight years later the institution was incorporated as the State Savings Bank, and Mr. Sheklon continued as its cashier. The bank was incorporated with a capital of fifteen thousand dollars.
The marriage ceremony which united in holy matrimony F. B. Sheldon and his wife occurred on December 24, 1890, in this county, Mrs. Sheklon being before this event, Blanche Coulter, and was born in February, 1872. in Coshocton county, Ohio. She was the daughter of J. R. and Jennie Coulter, natives of Ohio, they having come to Wright county about the year of 1885. One child has blessed this imion, he being Guy R. Sheldon who was born on June 3, 1892. Having graduated from the local high school he later graduated from the Belmond school. He married Edna Schroeder. Their only child, Maxine, was born in March, 1915.
Mr. Sheldon is affiliated with the Republican party and although not an office seeker, has held a number of minor offices. He is a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his family also are members. He is also trustee of the telephone company and of the school board. As cashier of the bank he acts as agent for several insurance companies.
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Banking, or for that matter, any business interests, would look far for a better representative of clean, honest business methods than is F. B. Sheldon. The principles which have been the guide of a strong, admirable character, have also been his guide in the commercial world in which so much of his time and thought have been spent. And, too, he has never failed to lend his influence where it would effect the general good, and has supported those civic movements which every public-spirited citizen endorses, thus attesting to his good citizenship.
HENRY BURT.
From England have come to America many of her best and most useful men, if we may judge of the character and life of Henry Burt, the subject of this sketch. A man of industrious ways, intelligent in the use of his abilities, true to his determination to succeed and one who made himself a worthy part of the nation of his adoption, he is now one of the leading and most successful farmers of the county.
Henry Burt was born in England, thirty miles from the city of Bristol, the son of William and Betsie Burt, both of whom were natives of England. William Burt was a farmer of his native country, a pursuit which he fol- lowed until his death in the year 1894. Betsie Burt survived her husband and lives on the old Burt home place in England. William and Betsie Burt were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom are living, only two of whom live in the United States, Henry and a brother, James, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Henry Burt, after receiving his education in the schools of England, worked until he was twenty years of age as a farmer. He then came to America and located in Trumbull county, Ohio, where he lived for one year and then moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio, and lived there for two years, following which he was married and then went to Jamestown, Pennsylvania, where he lived for a short time and then went to the state of Illinois, where he located near Galesburg. There Henry Burt rented a farm of fifty acres, where he lived for one year, during which time he took ont his first citizen- ship papers, and then he moved to Franklin county, Iowa, where he rented a farm for one year and then came to Wright county, lowa, and rented a farm for seven years, following which he bought eighty acres of land at six dollars and twenty-five cents per acre. This land being prairie land and unimproved.
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Henry Burt set out to bring it under cultivation, spending the sum of six thousand dollars for improvements in addition to the breaking up of the sod and the draining of the land. From time to time Mr. Burt added to his land holdings until now he is the owner of more than four hundred acres of land in Wright county, land all well cared for and highly cultivated. Henry Burt, as a farmer, has devoted considerable of his efforts to the raising and the feeding of stock, he at times feeding two carloads of cattle and one car- load of hogs in a season. He has also had extensive dealings as a buyer and seller of cattle. The principal crops produced by this progressive farmer are corn and small grain, the corn averaging about fifty bushels to the acre and the small grain yielding about forty bushels to the acre. The greater part of the grain produced is fed to the stock on the place.
Henry Burt was married to Mary Ann Franklin, daughter of John Franklin and wife, and to this union were born the following children : William, John, Edward, Harry, Charles, Elmer, Eugene, Jesse, and Hattie, who is the wife of Charles Snyder, of Clarion. Of these children six are married.
Henry Burt, as a citizen, has proved himself of value to the community and is a man who at all times finds interest in those things which serve to make a greater town and better county. In politics, Mr. Burt is a Republi- can, one who takes an intelligent and progressive view of the principles for which the party stands. Mr. and Mrs. Burt are members of the Congrega- tional church, and are highly esteemed by a large circle of friends in Wright county
J. S. PRITCHARD.
In the sketch which follows are found evidences of a character which is truly great, having as its basic elements self-reliance, energy, patriotism, ยท moral courage and a sincere desire to serve well his fellow men. Not con- tent merely to hold public office, he, as a representative to the state Legis- lature, became the author and sponsor for such measures as meant permanent good to the commonwealth which formed his constituency. He is a fear- less advocate of right principles in action and judged by the amount of service he has rendered may always be considered one of the county's great men. Beginning to earn money while he was still in short trousers, with- out a father's help, he was first a soldier, then a legislator, and later, one (28)
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of the large stock dealers in northern lowa. J. S. Pritchard, a native of Washtenaw county, Michigan, was born on May 6, 1847, his father being Philo A. Pritchard. His mother was before her marriage, Eliza Woodard.
The parents of Mr. Pritchard were born in Connecticut and Batavia, New York, respectively. The Pritchards are of Welsh descent and belong to one of the old families of this country. The grandmother of the present subject was a Sherman, and a descendant of Roger Sherman, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Philo Pritchard was a blacksmith, and followed his trade from early manhood until the time of his death, which occurred in Michigan. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, namely: Charles O., Mrs. Helen Whited, Mrs. Lucy J. Hanning, Martin, Mrs. Lucina Christian, Gurley G., Mrs. Susan Treat, J. S., Mrs. Edna Willis and - Philo A., Jr.
The father of J. S. Pritchard died when his son was a child of six, and the boy began his brave struggle for existence at the tender age of eleven years, having attended school until that time. At that age he began sup- porting himself. The years of his youth and young manhood were spent in such various kinds of employment as he was able to find, and at the time of his marriage he began the serions work of farming. While his family came to Belmond in 1856, it was 1877 before he purchased land, having rented property up to that time. He purchased a tract of uncultivated land where he lived until the year 1891. This was during the pioneer period when there were no railroads in the state of lowa. In order to reach Bel- mond these early settlers traveled on the Illinois Central railroad as far as Dunleith, Illinois, now called East Dubuque, and were ferried across the Mississippi river and from there drove through rough, uncultivated terri- tory to Wright county. In 1856, the ancestors of Mr. Pritchard built the first frame house in Wright county and in order to do so, cut the timber themselves and hauled it to be sawed at the old water-power mill in Belmond. Before his purchase of farm property, Mr. Pritchard had been engaged in the buying and selling of stock, an enterprise which he continued even after he made his residence in the town.
The next chapter of Mr. Pritchard's life has to do with his war experi- ences, for inbued with the spirit of patriotism he became a soldier, enlisting on January 1, 1864, in Company F. Second Regiment, lowa Cavalry. He was then just sixteen years of age, and served until the close of the war. He was engaged in scout and skirmish duty which led up to the battle of Nashville, duties which extended over a period of seventeen days. lle also was a participant in the battles of Franklin, Nashville, Duck River, and a
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great many other lesser engagements. He was mustered out on October 25, 1805. in Selma, Alabama. Immediately after the close of the war he engaged in the selling of insurance in the South.
After his return home Mr. Pritchard became active in public affairs as well as in private life and in 1893 was elected to the board of county super- visors, a position which he held for six years, during three of which he was chairman of the board. It was during his term of office that the present drainage system was established, this involving a lawsuit which Mr. Pritchard carried through the supreme court, which established the validity of the law supporting and authorizing the system. Mr. Pritchard's public service brought him before the people in such a way that he was chosen to represent them in the state Legislature at the election in 1901. His termi of service lasted for six years, during which time he was chairman of the committee on agriculture for four years. He was instrumental in securing the passage of the new drainage law which was enacted in 1906, and was also an important factor in securing the Lake drainage law. He was author of the bill establishing the practice of allowing passes to stock men who were engaged in shipping stock to or from market. He himself was a leader among stock dealers. He handled several thousand head of stock for a number of years.
J. S. Pritchard and Florine Bloom were married in Wright county on December 7, 1869, the bride being a native of Clearfield county, Pennsyl- Uvania, and a daughter of Isaac and Leah ( Hoover ) Bloom. They were natives of Pennsylvania, both being descendants of German ancestors. Mrs. Pritchard came to lowa and located in Wright county. At that time she had a sister living in Hancock county. To Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard were born four children, three of whom are living. Robert H. is the husband of Laura Gravatt, and they live in Chicago. Their only son is named Shuber. Walter Sherman married Jennie Finch, and they with their eight children live in Garner, Iowa. . Their children are named Catharine, Paul, John, Elizabeth, Marion, Walter, Harry and Robert. Irving, who died in 1800, had married Emma Pollick. No children were born to this union. Laura A. became Mrs. Alexander McGregor and lives in Belmond. She is the mother of two children, Bloom and Mary. Mrs. Pritchard passed away on April 9, 1914. She was a faithful wife and mother, and was devoted to her family, her church and the clubs which she felt were worth while. She was a very active member of the Congregational church as well as of the Woman's Relief Corps, in whose activities she was deeply
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interested. A charter member of the Progress Club, which was the first woman's club of Belmond, she was at different times its president and secretary.
Mr. Pritchard is a charter member of Whited Post No. 247, Grand Army of the Republic, of Belmond. Mr. Pritchard is also a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, having joined Radiant Lodge No. 366. in 1875, while in Allen, lowa. He is a member of the Royal Arch Masons in Garner; the council degrees in Eagle Grove; Knights Templar in Iowa Falls; Scottish Rite in Des Moines, lowa, and the Za Ga Jig Shrine temple in Des Moines. Mr. Pritchard's political interests have been always with the Republican party and he is proud of the fact that he voted for Abraham Lincoln when seventeen years old, his being a soklier permitting him to vote at that youthful period of his life.
E. D. TOMPKINS, M. D.
Endowed with unusual foresight and ability in his chosen profession, Dr. E. D. Tompkins, of Clarion, Wright county, Iowa, has won his way to the heart of an admiring public. In the present commercial age it becomes a source of deep pleasure to review the life of one who, by his achievements and example of integrity, is worthy to act as an incentive to those who contemplate making the medical profession their life work. That E. D. Tompkins has raised his ideals far above the sordid things of life is evidenced in the liberal patronage which he enjoys and in the fact that since the beginning of his practice he has become one of the leaders in the life of Wright county.
F. D. Tompkins is one of two children born to the union of W. C. and Jean ( Duncan ) Tompkins, and his birth occurred on March 10, 1875, in Clear Lake, Iowa. W. C. Tompkins is a native of New York state, and the meager education which he received was gained in the schools of his native state. At the tender age of thirteen years he was compelled by force of circumstances to become the arbiter of his own destiny, and with the undaunted courage of his time accepted employment on a farm. Longing for the free life of the West he removed to Illinois when a young man. and was engaged as driver of a stage coach in that state. Later, his location was changed to Iowa Falls, lowa, where he was employed for the purpose
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of transporting freight from lowa City, Iowa, to Jowa Falls, this service being conducted with the aid of an ox team.
Shortly after the beginning of the Civil War, W. C. Tompkins responded to his country's call and enlisted in the Twelfth United States Infantry of the Fifth Army Corps, and served as a Union soldier for more than three years. Among the numerous battles in which he was engaged were the ones at Rappahannock station, Mine run, Spottsylvania court house, the Wilderness ( three days), Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Laurel Ilill, North Anne, Bethesda church, and Weldon railroad. Ile was taken prisoner and was incarcerated in Libby prison, Belle Island, Salisbury and Pember- ton and was exchanged on March 9. 1865, at Big Bend, on the James river. His entire captivity covered a period of eighteen months.
After the close of this struggle W. C. Tompkins removed to Clear Lake, Iowa, where he was employed by a lumber company, of which he became the manager some few years later, and in 1880 was elected to the responsible position of county treasurer of Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, which position he filled in an able manner covering a period of four years. During this service he was located in Mason City, Iowa. At the close of his term as county treasurer he engaged in the wholesale grocery business for some years, but finally returned to Clear Lake, lowa, where he pur- chased the lumber company of which he was formerly manager. He con- tinued in the lumber business until 1905, at which time he retired, and is now living in Clear Lake. Jean ( Duncan) Tompkins, wife of W. C. Tomp- kins, was a native of Canada, and the mother of two children, Bertha and E. D. Bertha died in infancy.
E. D. Tompkins received his education in various schools and colleges of his native state, having been a student in the public schools of Mason City, Iowa, and a graduate of the high school at Clear Lake, lowa. Some time after his graduation he became a student in. the Iowa State University for a period of four years. The degree of Bachelor of Science was received at the University of lowa, while his degree of Doctor of Medicine was received at the University of Pennsylvania with the class of 1899. After completing his medical education he served one year as hospital interne, later establishing his practice in Clarion, Iowa, in which town he has con- tinned to make his home, and is one of the popular physicians in this com- munity.
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